# Brad Bird's Ray Gunn arrives on Netflix in December

> The Oscar-winning director brings a retro-futuristic noir detective story to Netflix with an all-star voice cast.
- Title: Brad Bird's Ray Gunn arrives on Netflix in December | Shortify
- Summary: The Oscar-winning director brings a retro-futuristic noir detective story to Netflix with an all-star voice cast. Brad Bird's long-gestating Ray Gunn, a…
- Keywords: brad bird, ray gunn, netflix, animated film, sam rockwell, scarlett johansson, neo-noir, science fiction, december 2026, voice acting, technology, science
- Source: Ars Technica — https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/09/netflix-drops-trailer-for-brad-birds-ray-gunn
- Published: 2026-09-23T18:26:50+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: brad bird, ray gunn, netflix, animated film, sam rockwell, scarlett johansson, neo-noir, science fiction, december 2026, voice acting, technology, science
## Brad Bird's new animated mystery
Oscar-winning director Brad Bird is releasing Ray Gunn on Netflix in December, a neo-noir science-fiction mystery with retro-futuristic elements like flying cars, jet packs, and laser guns.
## Three decades in the making
Bird conceived Ray Gunn 30 years ago while working on other projects. The script, co-written with Matthew Robbins, sat in a filing cabinet at Warner Brothers until now.
## Inspired by a musical mix-up
Bird got the idea after hearing the B-52s' Planet Claire and mistaking it for Henry Mancini's Peter Gunn theme. A lifelong film noir fan, he created a futuristic detective named Ray Gunn as a pun on raygun.
## A noir mashup with comedy
Ray Gunn blends hard-boiled detective storytelling with more comedy and action than typical film noir. Bird describes it as a mashup of The Maltese Falcon and Buck Rogers aimed at mature audiences.

> It's film noir and a hard-boiled detective story, but it's got a lot more comedy and a lot more action than the average film noir.
## Star-studded voice cast assembled
Sam Rockwell voices private eye Raymond Gunn, while Scarlett Johansson plays multimedia star Venus Nova. Tom Waits, Matt Berry, Bobby Cannavale, and Alan Tudyk round out the ensemble.
## December release with theater run
Ray Gunn premieres on Netflix December 18, with a limited 70mm theatrical run starting December 4 in select cities.
## Key takeaway

Brad Bird's long-gestating Ray Gunn, a neo-noir sci-fi mystery inspired by 1960s spy culture and film noir, premieres on Netflix December 18 with Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson leading an acclaimed voice cast.